The 2025 season will be one of great transition for the Chicago Bears. For the first time since 1922, Virginia Halas McCaskey won’t be alive to witness it. The team’s principal owner and matriarch died Feb. 6 at age 102.
McCaskey had been around the team since she was a little girl. With her father, Bears founder, owner and coach George Halas, she witnessed the Red Grange barnstorming tour in 1925 and the NFL’s first indoor game at Chicago Stadium in 1932, among other early moments.
McCaskey inherited the team from her father after his death in 1983. Even though she spent her later years mostly behind the scenes, she was an ever-present part of the organization. She remained on the board of directors until her death, though her children handled the day-to-day operations. Chairman George McCaskey, one of four McCaskey sons on the board of directors, will remain the face of ownership.
The Bears also are going through significant change on the football side. They hired Ben Johnson as head coach Jan. 21, hoping the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator can change the fortunes of a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season. He brings with him an almost entirely new cast of assistant coaches.
So, who does what exactly at Halas Hall? Here’s a look at many of the notable names who work for the Bears.
Chairman: George McCaskey
McCaskey has been the team chairman since 2011, when his brother Michael retired. He’s one of 11 children of Ed and Virginia McCaskey and the grandson of George Halas.
McCaskey’s first part-time job was as an office assistant with the Bears at age 14. After earning a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from Arizona State, he worked in TV news and as an assistant state’s attorney in Lee and DeKalb counties before joining the Bears ticket office in 1991. He worked in the ticket office for 20 years before taking over as chairman.
He’s the fourth chairman in team history, following his grandfather, father and brother, and he’s the face and voice of the McCaskey family ownership group.
President and CEO: Kevin Warren
The Bears hired Warren in 2023 as the fifth team president and the first hired from outside the organization. Before joining the Bears, Warren spent four years as commissioner of the Big Ten. That came after a lengthy career as an NFL executive with the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
As the Vikings chief operating officer from 2015-19, Warren oversaw the development of U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in 2016 in downtown Minneapolis. While Warren, 61, runs all aspects of the Bears, his top objective since taking over as president has been to build the Bears a new stadium.
Board of directors: George McCaskey, Kevin Warren, Patrick McCaskey, Brian McCaskey, Ed McCaskey Jr. and Pat Ryan
After Virginia McCaskey’s death, the team’s board of directors has six members. George McCaskey is the chairman, his brother Patrick is the secretary and brothers Brian and Ed Jr. are board members. The four McCaskey brothers are among nine surviving children of Virginia and Ed McCaskey.
As team president and CEO, Warren is also on the board. The final member is Ryan, the billionaire Aon Corporation founder who purchased a minority stake in the team in 1990.
General manager: Ryan Poles
Poles, 39, has the final say on all football-related decisions, from whom to hire as coach to which players to draft and sign. He was just 36 when the Bears hired him in 2022 after more than a decade working in the Kansas City Chiefs front office.
Upon taking over, Poles kicked off a major rebuild. He spent his first year dismantling the team his predecessor, Ryan Pace, built. He hired (and later fired) coach Matt Eberflus. He also picked Ben Johnson to replace Eberflus. It was Poles’ decision, too, to trade away quarterback Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in 2024.
Assistant GM: Ian Cunningham
Cunningham assists Ryan Poles in scouting prospects and potential free-agent additions. He was the first front-office hire Poles made after becoming GM in 2022. Cunningham came to Chicago after working his way up the scouting departments of the Baltimore Ravens (2008-16) and Philadelphia Eagles (2017-21). Both organizations won a Super Bowl during his tenure.
Cunningham is considered a top candidate for future GM positions across the league. During the most recent hiring cycle, he was a finalist for the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars jobs.
Head coach: Ben Johnson
The Bears hired Johnson on Jan. 21 to be the 19th head coach in franchise history. He spent the previous three seasons as the Lions offensive coordinator, directing one of the NFL’s most high-powered offenses.
Johnson was highly sought as a head coaching candidate during recent hiring cycles. The Bears moved swiftly to land him after conducting initial interviews with at least 17 candidates.
The Bears hope Johnson, 39, can elevate the offense and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. He helped quarterback Jared Goff revive his career in Detroit, and he was named the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024.
Offensive coordinator: Declan Doyle
Doyle, 28, is believed to be the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL. While Ben Johnson will call plays, Doyle is expected to manage a pivotal role as the Bears build an offense around Caleb Williams.
The Bears believe Doyle is a bright young mind and an ascending coach. He previously worked for Sean Payton in New Orleans and Denver. Doyle was the Broncos tight ends coach for the last two seasons. Before that, he worked for four years as a Saints offensive assistant, also working with Lions coach Dan Campbell.
Doyle was an offensive student assistant at Iowa after playing baseball for two years at Iowa Western Community College. He’s the son of longtime Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.
Defensive coordinator: Dennis Allen
Allen, 52, was the front-runner for the defensive coordinator job once Ben Johnson was hired. The former Saints and Oakland Raiders head coach can provide Johnson insight into his new role.
This will be Allen’s third stint as an NFL defensive coordinator. He held the role with the Broncos in 2011 and with the Saints from 2015-21 before being promoted to head coach in 2022. The Saints had one of the best defenses in the league from 2018-21 under Allen, ranking in the top five against the run all four years. They won four consecutive NFC South titles with Allen overseeing the defense.
Special teams coordinator: Richard Hightower
Hightower, 44, is back for a fourth season with the Bears. He oversees all aspects of special teams: place-kicking, punting, kick coverage and returns. The Bears improved steadily on special teams during the second half of 2024 and wound up fifth in the league in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA).
Hightower is the highest-ranking coach who was retained from Matt Eberflus’ staff. He previously served as special teams coordinator for Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-21.
Passing game coordinator: Press Taylor
Taylor, 37, spent the last three seasons as the Jaguars offensive coordinator. He rose through the ranks as a quarterbacks coach under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia, then followed Pederson to Jacksonville. He’ll direct the Bears passing attack and play a role in guiding Caleb Williams at quarterback.
Secondary coach/defensive passing game coordinator: Al Harris
Harris, 50, comes to Chicago after five years coaching the Dallas Cowboys defensive backs. He played 14 NFL seasons as a cornerback, including seven with the Green Bay Packers. He will be tasked with managing all aspects of the secondary and coaching Bears cornerbacks such as Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson.
Wide receivers coach/assistant head coach: Antwaan Randle El
Randle El followed Ben Johnson from Detroit to Chicago, where he added the assistant head coach title. As the Lions wide receivers coach, Randle El oversaw the development of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
Randle El, 45, grew up in the south suburbs and was a three-sport star at Thornton before a successful college football career at Indiana. His nine-year NFL career included a memorable touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play in Super Bowl XL for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Quarterbacks coach: J.T. Barrett
Barrett will be in charge of the nitty-gritty details of the quarterback position and will play a huge role in Caleb Williams’ development. While Ben Johnson will oversee all the moving parts of the offense, the 30-year-old Barrett will be the one making sure Williams’ footwork and timing are on point.
Barrett played in 50 games as Ohio State’s quarterback from 2014-17, including 12 starts during the 2014 national championship season. He went into coaching in 2022 after brief playing stints in the NFL and CFL. He spent the last three years as a Lions assistant coach.
Running backs coach: Eric Bieniemy
An All-America running back at Colorado and an NFL reserve for nine seasons, Bieniemy, 55, got his start in coaching as a running backs coach. Over his career, he has worked with such running backs as Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jamaal Charles and Kareem Hunt.
Bieniemy won two Super Bowl rings as the Chiefs offensive coordinator. He most recently was the offensive coordinator at UCLA.
Offensive line coach: Dan Roushar
Roushar, 64, is a lifelong coach who spent a decade coaching tight ends and the offensive line for Sean Payton in New Orleans. He most recently coached the offensive line at Tulane. He will oversee a Bears line that added several new pieces, including All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and veteran center Drew Dalman.
Tight ends coach: Jim Dray
Dray, 38, is one of the few holdovers from Matt Eberflus’ staff. He has been the Bears tight ends coach since 2022. He played eight NFL seasons as a tight end. He will coach first-round draft pick Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe and the rest of the tight ends.
Defensive line coach: Jeremy Garrett
Garrett will be in charge of a group that started off hot in 2024 but struggled during the second half of the season. He held the same role with the Jaguars in 2024. Before that, he spent two years at the college level, coaching the defensive lines at Liberty (2022) and Auburn (2023). His first NFL job was as the Cleveland Browns assistant defensive line coach in 2020-21.
Linebackers coach: Richard Smith
Smith, 69, is one of the most experienced coaches on the staff. He has coached football since 1979, including 37 seasons in the NFL. He was a defensive coordinator for three teams (Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons), but much of his experience is coaching linebackers. He will coach two veterans in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
Senior defensive assistant: Bill Johnson
Johnson, 69, has coached at the college and pro levels since 1980, primarily as a defensive line coach. He spent the last three seasons coaching in the USFL/UFL. He was Texas A&M’s defensive line coach in the 1990s when Dennis Allen played safety for the Aggies. The two later coached together with the Falcons and Saints.
Head strength and conditioning coach: Pierre Ngo
Ngo was promoted this year after serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2023-24. He also worked in strength and conditioning for the Bears from 2015-20 before a stint with the Broncos in 2021-22.
Senior director of sports medicine and player health: Andre Tucker
Tucker has been the head athletic trainer since 2018. He earned a title change in 2024 but still works with players on a daily basis. He has worked as an NFL athletic trainer since 2003, including stints with the Browns, Falcons, Jaguars and Dolphins.
Director of research and analysis: Harrison Freid
Freid joined the Bears in 2022, and Ben Johnson retained him. They previously worked together with the Dolphins, for whom Freid worked for six seasons. He provides research and analytics for the coaching staff and the player personnel and football administration departments.
Director of equipment: Tony Medlin
Medlin has been with the Bears since 1987 and has been the head equipment manager since 1997. His job is to make sure the players have the proper uniforms, pads, helmets, cleats and more. He also serves as the team’s liaison with official NFL apparel providers.
Director of player engagement: Erika Marmolejo
Marmolejo works closely with players and their families to make sure they have everything they need when they come to Chicago. She provides resources in continuing education, financial literacy, professional development and personal growth.
Senior director of player personnel: Jeff King
A former NFL tight end, the 42-year-old King has worked for the Bears since 2015, working his way up from scouting intern to his current role. Ryan Poles hired King and Trey Koziol as co-directors of player personnel in 2022. King earned a promotion in 2024. He’s the third-highest-ranking member of the player personnel department behind Poles and Ian Cunningham.
Director of player personnel: Trey Koziol
Koziol went to Hinsdale Central and played with Poles at Boston College from 2003-07. He returned to BC as a graduate assistant in 2008 but left midseason for an internship with the Titans. Not wanting to leave his alma mater in a pickle, he recommended Poles take his job. They later worked together for nine years in the Chiefs front office, and Poles brought Koziol with him to Chicago.
Director of college scouting: Breck Ackley
Ackley’s department, which includes a dozen scouts, scours the college ranks looking for future NFL talent.
Vice president of football administration: Matt Feinstein
Feinstein is in charge of negotiating player contracts and managing the salary cap. He joined the Bears in 2022 and earned a title change and promotion in February.
Executive vice president of stadium development and chief operating officer: Karen Murphy
Murphy has worked for the Bears since 1999, and the team promoted her a year ago, putting her in charge of the search for a new stadium. Her first title with the Bears was controller. She played a part in the 2003 Soldier Field renovations and more recent expansion projects at the team’s Halas Hall training facility in Lake Forest.
Special adviser to the president/CEO and chief administrative officer: Ted Crews
The Bears hired Crews in April 2024 to work closely with Kevin Warren. His job is to make sure the organization is consistent with its messaging and brand initiatives. He worked for the Chiefs for a decade before coming to Chicago. Crews was on the interview panel when the team conducted its head coaching search in January.
Executive vice president of people and culture and chief human resources officer: Liz Geist
Geist leads the Bears’ human resources strategy. She collaborates closely with Kevin Warren and the leadership team to align objectives and champion diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the organization. She was on the design committee for the 2019 Halas Hall renovations and was involved in interviews during the most recent head coaching search.
Executive vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief impact officer: Tanesha Wade
Wade’s job is to integrate DEI principles across all facets of the organization. She has worked for the Bears since 2013 and has been in charge of their DEI efforts since 2021. She was on the search panel that identified Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus as top candidates in 2022, as well as the panel that identified Kevin Warren for his position in 2023. She works closely with Warren and other top executives.
